Diversity embraced at Unity Games

On one side of the basketball court, it was green versus burgundy. On the other, blue versus orange. For the around 270 kids participating in the Unity Games today, their T-shirt colors were the only ones that mattered.

"We want you simply to look at each other and realize that you are the same, whether you're blue, green, yellow or purple," Dr. Mark Sherman, co-founder of the Unity Games, told the seventh- and eight-graders during the opening ceremonies.

Held at the Michael J. Petrides Educational Complex in the Sunnyside section, the Unity Games began six years ago as a way to break down boundaries and bring together youths of various backgrounds.

"You can meet people of different nationalities," said 14-year-old Edna DeSousa of Port Richmond. "This way, you know where people are coming from."

Throughout the weekend-long event, each participant will play five basketball games. The teams are broken down according to skill level followed by ethnicity, making sure each group is diverse.

The participants also attend workshops, including those on gangs, overcoming obstacles, smoking and Internet safety.

"We both feel that seventh- and eighth-graders are at an influential age," said Jacob Carey, who co-founded the games with Dr. Sherman. "They haven't been hardwired into one way of thinking. They're still open to the person they can be."

The workshops were run by members of the city Police Department, educators and past participants, with many other past attendees and their parents coming back to help out.